Gala samples Richard Rodgers’ rich body of work for Broadway

Hey, Barry Manilow: Richard Rodgers wrote the songs.

With lyricists Lorenz Hart and, later, Oscar Hammerstein II, Rodgers reinvented musical theater and crafted some of the world’s most enduring tunes. Just ask the folks in line for “Oklahoma!,” which is back on Broadway in its latest revival.

“On Stage at the Kennedy Center: The Richard Rodgers Gala,” hosted by Shirley Jones and airing tonight at 8 on KCET and KVCR, toasts the centennial year of the composer’s birth with a one-hour musical showcase featuring Broadway stars from several eras performing his songs. Rodgers, born June 28, 1902, in New York City, died in 1979.

Like a greatest-hits album, this kind of sweeping, sampling show, taped at a Washington concert earlier this year, could never capture the richness of Rodgers’ work. Clips from “The King and I” and other movies remind us of how his songs weaved slyly sophisticated stories and transported us to another place.

But fans are sure to find this an enchanting evening. Highlights include Rita Moreno’s wistful rendition of “This Nearly Was Mine” from “South Pacific” and Audra McDonald’s convincing “I Have Confidence” from “The Sound of Music.”

Less satisfying is Kristin Chenoweth’s take on “My Funny Valentine” from “Babes in Arms.”

She belts out a song more suited to the restrained stylings of Chet Baker, even Elvis Costello.

All is forgiven when Chenoweth and the other stars join in on an appropriately rousing finale, the title number from “Oklahoma!” You can almost feel the wind blowing in from the plain, for this is music that doesn’t just feel good--it feels right.